Lisbon or Porto with kids?
Written October 2026
With kids under eight and one city, pick Lisbon. The Oceanário, one of the best aquariums in Europe, sits in Parque das Nações with the science museum and the cable car next door, plus a riverside playground, and the zoo is in town too. Porto suits a shorter trip with older kids, with a treetop walk and a beach at the end of a tram.
The train between them takes about three hours.
Lisbon, for the aquarium and the apartments
Oceanário de Lisboa
Lisbon
The aquarium is step-free throughout, with ramps and elevators, and the middle of it is one huge tank with sharks and sunfish.
- Restroom
- Yes
- Changing table
- Yes
- Wheelchair access
- Yes
Pavilhão do Conhecimento
Lisbon
An interactive science museum next to the Oceanário, with a hands-on area for the smallest kids and strollers to borrow. The ticket is good all day, and the two together are a full day without a hill.
- Wheelchair access
- Yes
Jardim Zoológico de Lisboa
Lisbon
A big old zoo, open since 1884, with a cable car over the enclosures and a dolphin show. There's a metro station at the gate.
Telecabine Lisboa
Lisbon
A gondola at Parque das Nações that runs over the water between the aquarium and the far end of the park, and kids under three ride free.
Martinhal Lisbon Chiado
Lisbon
Apartments with a kitchenette, and in the two-bedroom the kids get a room of their own. There's a free crèche for ages six months to three years. For a family with a baby, the crèche tips it to Lisbon. The Lisbon family hotel guide has the rest.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Kids' club
- Yes
Porto, for the river and the beach
Serralves Park and Treetop Walk
Porto
Porto's best family day is this art park, with a museum and a farm with horses, donkeys and pigs. The treetop walk through the canopy is the highlight. Serralves is on the west side of the city.
Jardim do Passeio Alegre
Porto
A seaside garden with a fountain and a play area, at the end of the vintage tram line. The tram runs along the river from the center to the sea, and from the garden it's a walk to Praia do Homem do Leme, the city beach with a playground beside the sand.
World of Discoveries
Porto
An interactive museum of Portuguese exploration with a boat ride through it, and a visit is about an hour. It's the indoor attraction in the center that's built for kids, near the river.
Jardins do Palácio de Cristal
Porto
The gardens above the river have peacocks and a playground with a climbing net and a slide. We think it's the city's best playground, and it has the best view of the Douro. It's free, and a walk from the center.
Spot Family Suites
Porto
Porto's family apartment hotel, with kitchenettes and breakfast included. The master suite sleeps six in separate bedrooms.
- Suites
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Free breakfast
- Yes
More in Lisbon
A weekend in Lisbon
The best family hotels in LisbonPhoto credits
Oceanário de Lisboa: jad99 from Graz, Austria (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Pavilhão do Conhecimento: GualdimG (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Jardim Zoologico de Lisboa: Vitor Oliveira from Torres Vedras, PORTUGAL / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Telecabine Lisboa: acediscovery / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0) · A number 28 tram, Lisbon: Ввласенко (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Serralves Park and Treetop Walk: Daniel VILLAFRUELA. (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Jardim do Passeio Alegre: Vitor Oliveira from Torres Vedras, PORTUGAL (CC BY-SA 2.0) · World of Discoveries: Joseolgon (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Jardins do Palácio de Cristal: Pdenisebg (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Ribeira, Porto, from across the Douro: Jakub Hałun (CC BY 4.0)